Sunday, August 26, 2007

The issue I will describe below has inspired me to start a blog. This blog will discuss Windows-related issues as well as other problems myself and others have faced in the world of technology. The problem started when migrating a user from Outlook Express to Microsoft Outlook 2003. The import went without any issues. All folders, messages, and account details were all transfered. Even the message rules/filters were imported. The problem came when it tried to download messages from the POP server for the first time. As is usually the case, passwords are not imported. OK, not a big deal, just type in the password and click the checkbox telling Outlook to save the password. Five minutes later it asks again. And again. I spent about 3 hours researching this issue trying several different things that I found in forums and Microsoft Knowledge Base articles. Unfortunately, the KB article suggestion did not work for me. The only thing that did work was the following:

Important: this solution contains information about how to modify the registry. Make sure to back up the registry before you modify it. Make sure that you know how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. View the following article in the Microsoft KnowledgeBase for information about how to back up, restore, and modify the registry: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/256986/

Follow the next steps to solve this issue:1. Close all running programs2. Click on [Start] » Run3. Type “Regedit” and click [OK]4. Open the following folder:HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders5. Now choose Edit » New » Expandable String Value6. Enter “AppData” as a name7. Double click the new entry8. Enter “%USERPROFILE%\Application Data” in the value data field.9. Close the registry editor.

It is possible that additional registry keys are missing. Below is a list of all keys that should exist in the “User Shell Folders”. There are different ways to add these keys again:Use the instructions provided on http://windowsxp.mvps.org/usershellfolders.htm

Add them manually by following the steps above. Export the keys from a computer/user on which the issue does not occur, and then importing them again.

To export and import:1. Logon to Windows with a user account for which the issue does not occur (this may also be a different workstation).2. Click on [Start] » Run3. Type “Regedit” and click [OK]4. Open the following folder:HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders5. Right click the “User Shell Folders” key on the left and choose “Export”. Specify a name and location of for the export file and click [Save].6. Close the registry editor7. Logon to Windows with the user account that experiences this issue8. Double click on the exported registry key you created in step 5.9. Click [Yes] when asked if you are sure to add the information, then click [OK]for the “successfully imported” message. Registry keys that should exist in the “User Shell Folders” key. The list below has the format “Key Name - Value Data”. The type for all keys is “ExpandableString Value” (REG_EXPAND_SZ).*

AppData - %USERPROFILE%Application Data

Cache - %USERPROFILE%Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files

Cookies - %USERPROFILE%Cookies

Desktop - %USERPROFILE%Desktop

Favorites - %USERPROFILE%Favorites

History - %USERPROFILE%Local Settings\History

Local AppData - %USERPROFILE%Local Settings\Application Data

Local Settings - %USERPROFILE%Local Settings

My Pictures - %USERPROFILE%My Documents\My Pictures

NetHood - %USERPROFILE%NetHood

Personal - %USERPROFILE%My Documents

PrintHood - %USERPROFILE%PrintHood

Programs - %USERPROFILE%Start Menu\Programs

SendTo - %USERPROFILE%SendTo

Start Menu - %USERPROFILE%Start Menu

Startup - %USERPROFILE%Start Menu\Programs\Startup

Templates - %USERPROFILE%Templates

MORE INFORMATION

The “User Shell Folder” is a subkey of the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer registry. Entries in this subkey can also appear in the “Shell Folders” subkey and in both HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE and HKEY_CURRENT_USER. The entries that appear in user User Shell Folders take precedence over those in Shell Folders. The entries that appear in HKEY_CURRENT_USER take precedence over those in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.